The Stardust Prince
by The Author N
Summary: The feeling of being saved was so strange. It could be considered a blessing, it could be considered a curse. But the feeling of saving someone…the joy you felt when you saved a life…it was something he had to experience again. He would be a Hero, because the feeling of saving someone…there was no greater pleasure.
1. Prologue: The Blood Stained Mountain

**The Stardust Prince**

 **Summary: The feeling of being saved was so strange. It could be considered a blessing, it could be considered a curse. But the feeling of saving someone…the joy you felt when you saved a life…it was something he had to experience again. He would be a Hero, because the feeling of saving someone…there was no greater pleasure.**

 **A/N: This is a story I have been wanting to write for a long…long time. Because of that reason, I will write it as I have envisioned since then, and I will not change a single thing about the story. Nothing will be changed, there will be no reboot, no re-writing it. It shall progress exactly as I have envisioned it, and nobody will change my mind on this. Flame if you must, but I have made my choice.**

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 **Prologue - The Blood Stained Mountain**

There was nobody better than a Schnee. They were above anyone and everyone in the world, especially those despicable _Faunus_ that dare paraded around like they deserved to be among the humans like them.

That was what 9 year old Frost Schnee had always been raised believing, that there was nobody better than a Schnee. They were above anyone and everyone, and that they deserved to be respected. And nobody had proved that wrong to him yet, so therefore the Schnee were above all.

The Schnee Dust Company was the largest provider of Dust in the entire world, shipping out huge quantities of Dust to all four kingdoms. Of course, there were rumours of a few shady business deals, but that was all nonsense! And even if they did exist, then the rules should be bended just for them.

As he walked down the street and these thoughts flew through his mind, Frost sneered at a Faunus that gave him a particularly dirty look. Oh, that Faunus would definitely pay for that later, his father would make sure of that! Nobody looked at Frost like that and got away with him.

His younger brother Whitley was of the same opinion, though unlike Frost he was vocal about it. He turned to their father and spoke lowly to him, "Father that Faunus dared to throw a dirty look at us, and I think I've seen him working in the mines before. Would you mind doubling his workload for having the audacity to throw such a disgusting look at us?"

Frost smirked as he heard such dialogue, and his father, Jacques, was quick to agree, the moustache on his father's face doing quite well to hide the grin on his lips. His twin sister, Weiss, also looked rather pleased with this information, though she was much better at masking it then he was. He only noticed through the small glint in her eyes that always appeared whenever she was pleased.

The only people missing from their family were his older sister, Winter, and his mother, Willow. Though they were unimportant to him, not worth the time. Winter had left them to join the military, such a foolish thing to do. And his mother was an alcoholic, for reasons he simply couldn't comprehend. After all, did they not have everything they could ever want? What could be so bad that his mother would have to subject herself to drowning her worries away in that foul stuff?

"Father, might we return home soon?" Frost asked politely. "I believe we've spent enough time among the…" he took a moment to think of a word to properly describe the ones that littered the streets without being too offensive in public. "…people, and think we should make our way back home. We do have afternoon classes to think about, after all."

Jacques seemed to consider this for a moment, and looked at his watch for a moment. Frost knew that his father was deciding on if they really had spent enough time walking around displaying the image of a 'happy family.' His father took another moment, before he lowered his watch and nodded sharply. "Yes, we've spent long enough here. Back to the limo, we're going back home now. And once we get back, you will completely you evening classes, and then finish any work assigned to you before dinner."

Weiss and Frost both gave their father sharp nods to show they understood. Whitley looked like he'd swallowed something sour, but nodded in agreement as well. It was no secret that among the three of them Whitley detested needing to do work, he'd rather sit back and let everyone do the work for him.

He dismissed the thoughts from his mind, the family quickly headed to their limo and climbed in, and they were soon driving back to their family estate.

"I must ask you father," Whitley's disgusted voice came as Frost gazed out of the window, not really paying attention to them too much. "Why must _I_ be forced to endure these lessons? Weiss is the heiress, and Frost is next in line after her if she should perish. Surely I shouldn't need these lessons."

"Father, will you permit me to educate Whitley?" Frost cut in before his father could offer a response. "After all, you have more important things to think about then Whitley's whining," he added on. Appealing to his father's thoughts that business was very important was how Frost tended to twist the man around his finger, far more skilled than anyone else in their family at doing so.

"Hm…very well, Frost," Jacques said after a moment of silence, agreeing with his first son. "Whitley, listen to your brother." He ordered, pulling out his scroll and making important notes as he proceeded to ignore them.

"But father-!" Whitley tried to argue, but a stern look from Jacques cut him off, and instead he focused on Frost with a displeased look.

"The White Fang are relentless in their efforts to kill us, Whitley," Frost's voice was cold, and sharp. So much so that Weiss and Whitley both shuddered just from the sound of it, like it was a chip of ice from a glacier. "They are getting more innovative, despite the fact they are mere animals, and even animals can learn if you train them hard enough. Eventually, they will target and possibly kill myself and Weiss. At that point, you will stand to inherit everything. So you shall stop acting like a child, and you shall do your work. Am I clear, _little_ brother?"

The emphasis on the 'little' was enough to get his point across to Whitley. Frost rarely, if ever, referred to Whitley as his little brother, and if he did then it meant that he was less then pleased with him and there would be consequences if he didn't cease with whatever he was doing that was causing annoyance.

"…Yes big brother," Whitley said in a small but submissive voice, acknowledging his brother as the more dominant force between them once again, and backed down without another moment of hesitation.

"You really must teach me how you do that someday, Frost," Weiss said after a brief moment of silence. She herself was the oldest among the three, yet she was unable to reel in Whitley's attitude like Frost was.

Then again, Frost was visibly different from Weiss and Whitley, even Jacques. Looking at him, you'd be somewhat hard pressed to believe he was related to any of them. While he did have a somewhat feminine look to him, and he was rather pale skinned like the rest that was where the similarities ended. His hair was a vibrant shade of light blue, it had been since his birth. And while his family had blue eyes, his own were a wine red.

It had left the family rather confused why, until Willow confessed that her mother had naturally blue hair, and supposed that the combination of white genes with blue genes caused light blue. The eyes were also a mystery, until they went to the doctor and discovered it was a rare birth defect, though nothing harming. His eyes were just born an unnatural colour, with the pupils being slightly slit shaped, though there was a chance they'd change colour when he was older.

"It's all in the tone, dear sister," Frost told her, not having once looked away from the sights out the window during the entire exchange, even as they drove past the gates of their manor. "It's all in the tone."

 **-Line Break-**

It had been a few days since that day in the town, and Frost found himself quickly growing…unsatisfied. It was a rare feeling for him, since he usually got to experience all of life's pleasures. But when he did feel unsatisfied, Frost tended to get a little…eccentric with his actions.

A good example of just what happened when he got eccentric would be the week long string of pranks he played upon Whitley. He didn't play them on his mother because she wasn't worth his time, his father was busy, Weiss was the heir and he didn't want to get in trouble for that, and the maids and butlers hadn't done anything to wrong him. Which meant Whitley had been the target for his eccentric actions.

He might have taken it a bit far when he stole Whitley's clothes and tricked him into streaking through the manor to get them again, but he found it hilarious so he didn't allow himself to feel too guilty about it. And besides, even Whitley himself admitted that it was certainly more fun than being forced to do all those lessons he so hated, so they both won in the end.

Though maybe Whitley only said that in fear of further pranks from his older brother, who knew?

In any case, it wasn't long before Frost found his lack of satisfaction growing. And with it his eyes began to wander away from his work and out the window, in an attempt to think of something to do. And it wasn't long before his eyes settled on the snowy mountain that was visible from his room.

Slowly, the gears began to turn in his head, a small shine entered his eyes, and a grin spread across his lips. The more he thought, the brighter the shine got. The brighter the shine got, the more his grin grew. Until finally, agonisingly, Frost drawled out five words.

He never had any idea of the weight those words would hold. He never had any consideration of just how much the fate the world would be changed by his words, about exactly what would happen once he spoke them.

Whether it be the will of a god, or the gears of destiny beginning to spin in a new direction; nobody could have predicted what kind of future would happen when a nine year old boy who cared for nobody but himself and his immediate family spoke five simple words.

"I could climb a mountain."

And with those words, the second heir to the Schnee lineage slipped on the bulkiest and warmest clothes he owned, along with a pair of goggles to prevent any snow getting in his eyes, before sneaking out of the manor and heading towards one of Atlas' snowy peaks. He fully intended to climb it as high as he could before he ran out of stamina, or before the search teams his father would no doubt send out found him.

Yes, with only those five words that were spoken during the whimsical moments of a child, the future shifted off of its set course.

 **-Line Break-**

"It's cold," Frost said intelligently, shivering as he hiked up the mountain as snow began to fall.

He probably should have thought things through when he spontaneously decided that he was going to climb up a mountain, especially when said mountain was almost completely covered in snow.

But still he continued to climb, refusing to let up in doing so for even a single second. He hated to give up once he'd set his mind on a goal, and today wasn't any different, even when he knew his father would be sending out search parties to find him. He couldn't have the heir to his family in case Weiss passed dying, after all.

Frost snorted at the mere thought. His father wasn't a bad man…well he was, but he at least showed some semblance of care for his family. Perhaps Weiss, Winter, and Whitley didn't notice, but Frost did. He'd seen how their father was just a bit more guarded around them ever since Willow started drinking. He'd heard him talking to the Ironwood one night, warning him that if a single hair on Winter's head was hurt as a result of his 'brainwashing,' then he'd make the General's life very difficult.

Shaking his head and banishing the thoughts from his mind, Frost continued the trek up the mountain. He continued to climb for what felt like a long time, before he finally decided it was time to turn back. He turned to make his way back down…before he froze in fear as a howl ripped through the area.

He knew what the howl was. It was the howl of one of the creatures of darkness that plagued their world. It was the howl of a Grimm. But there was something off about it, something…different. Without even realising it, his feed had begun to take him in the direction of the howl. He tried to turn away, but he found himself unable to do so. He continued to move in the direction of the howl.

As he moved, the howl grew louder and whatever was filling it grew more and more apparent. Yet no matter how he tried, he was still unable to place just what it was about the howl that sounded so familiar to him. It took a while but he finally arrived at the location, that was when the howl finally died down, and he finally realised what was filling the howl that was so familiar.

Looking forward, he saw the decaying corpse of a Beowolf, with was no doubt the source of the howling. And it now made sense why the howls were filled with such pain and agony, it was dying very slowly.

Momentary confusion was replaced with realisation as the beast faded into darkness, and the body of a man was found under it. He was wounded, heavily, and his blood stained the snow around and under him red. His breath was getting more shallow as the seconds passed, indicating he didn't have much time left.

Panicking, Frost ran over to him. "D-don't die yet!" Frost pleaded, though he wasn't quite sure why he was doing this. Perhaps it was his instinct as a person to not want to see someone die in front of him. Maybe it was because he didn't want a good huntsman to go down like this, with nobody to remember him.

The man simply coughed and focused his brown eyes on Frost. "Haa…boy…I'm afraid my time is coming to an end," he said. He didn't know Frost, but he would use his last moments to make sure the child knew he couldn't be saved.

"Don't talk like that," he snapped. "You have to survive! I-I'll take you to a hospital, my dad will get the best medics to keep you alive, so come on, you have to stay alive!"

"There's no time…" the man said simply as he directed his gaze to the sky. "…You know, I wanted to be a hero," he told Frost tiredly, reminiscing on his life. "It's why…I became a huntsman…to save others, and be a hero. But in the end…I've failed to save any one and anything…"

"You…" Frost was speechless. This man…was beyond his comprehension. His whole life, he'd been taught to take what he wanted, and that there was nobody better then him. That being selfish was the way of the world, and yet this man…had given his life, everything he was, for the sake of others. "Why…? Why would you give your life for such a thing?"

"…Because it was the right thing to do," the man whispered out, before coughing violently. "Ah…I'm close to the end now…" slowly, his gaze shifted to Frost. "…If you would fulfil the request of this selfish man…then I ask you to be a hero…be the hero I never could. Even if you only save one person, it will be enough."

Frost couldn't help it. He gulped. That…that was a lot to ask of him. For all his life, Frost only cared about himself and his immediate family. And this man was asking him to change himself. To live his life and save people. Then again…just one person, right? He just had a save a single person, and it would be over. That was all it took, right? So he would humour the request of this man, out of respect.

"I will be a hero," he told the man solemnly. Just one person would be enough, Frost reassured himself.

But then the man did something that tugged at Frost's heartstrings, and spread a feeling throughout himself that would take control of his life.

The man _smiled_. It was a smile of joy, a kind of joy Frost had never seen before in his life. His eyes sparkled with gratitude, as if Frost had done something truly special for the man, as if he'd…as if he'd just saved the man. "Thank you, young one…" he breathed out, eyes slowly closing. They didn't open again.

Slowly, Frost reached up to grasp his chest as a warmth spread throughout him. He was horrified, of course he was. Someone had just died in front of him. But the man's last moments caused something to stir in him, when he saw that smile. Somehow, even though he'd died, Frost had saved the man. Frost, for the first time in his life, had saved a life even though they'd died.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Frost covered the man's body in snow, the crimson that stained it now seeming oddly appropriate. He found the largest rock he could find, and placed it over where the man's head lay. It was less than the man deserved, far less, but it would suffice as a grave marker. A grave marker for a man who wanted to be a hero, and gave his life for that cause.

For what felt like hours, but in actuality was only a few minutes, Frost stared at the makeshift grave. He could do nothing else but stare, the warm feeling lingering despite how much he'd tried to banish it. A Schnee didn't show emotion, even in a place where they could remotely be seen. But no matter how he tried, that feeling stayed, and he continued to stare.

One might think the wheels of fate spun out of anyone's control that day, as Frost was completely lost in thought. He tried, he desperately tried to banish any thoughts that arose with that warm feeling. He couldn't let himself show emotion, he couldn't. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that if he allowed any emotion to show right now, he'd change.

Even as the search party found him and pulled him away, Frost stared at the makeshift grave that would forever remain undisturbed. And unbidden, the vision of that man's smile came to his mind, and the warmth spread through his body again.

At that time, a single thought entered his mind. And it was that thought that would control the course of Frost's life.

 _'I wonder if I could smile like that…'_

And so it came to be, on that blood stained mountain…the story of Frost Schnee truly began.


	2. I: The Concert

**The Stardust Prince**

 **Summary:** **The feeling of being saved was so strange. It could be considered a blessing, it could be considered a curse. But the feeling of saving someone…the joy you felt when you saved a life…it was something he had to experience again. He would be a Hero, because the feeling of saving someone…there was no greater pleasure.**

 **AN: It took a little longer then I would have liked to write this chapter, but I found myself needing to pause at moments, and consider if what I was doing was the right way to go. But eventually, I made my choices, and I like how the story is going thus far. I know some might not share the same opinion, but I know others will. So I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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 **I: The Concert**

Nobody knew what to think. At first, people brushed it off as just a phase in his life, something that would end with time. But when it persisted, they began to think, and they began to observe. And the more they observed, the more baffled they became as they wondered just what could have possibly brought about such a sudden change.

Frost Schnee seemed to have changed overnight. Before he had been as cold and merciless as his father, and it seemed a future as head of the Schnee family was all but guaranteed. He was ruthless compared to his older sister Weiss, and rumour had it the girl wanted to be a hunter, meaning the place would be open for Frost Schnee to take and continue the Schnee legacy.

And yet, things seemed to be steering in a different direction. The changes were small at first, and not something out in public. Frost would offer to help the maids and butlers with their work, aid them in their duties. They refused at first, but Frost was adamant in helping out. Eventually they gave in and allowed him to help, and soon they found themselves genuinely enjoying time with the eldest male Schnee.

Somehow, he went unnoticed at home, but his first public act of kindness was something that everybody couldn't help but notice. A young Faunus had been kicked out of the hotel he was staying at, because his Faunus heritage had come out. When Frost witnessed it, in front of that crowd of people, he handed the young man what must have been 100 Lien in card, and told him to use it to either get himself away from such a racist place to somewhere more accepting, or to find a hotel that put the ones that kicked him out to shame.

 _That_ earned Frost an earful from his father, not that the boy seemed to care too much about his father's opinion any more, which was strange considering the boy seemed to care about his father's opinion a fairly good amount before this sudden change.

Yet another change that had occurred, was that Frost seemed to argue with his father on many things now, not caring where they were or what the time was. He argued for many things that made his father shocked since he'd never cared about such things before. And it was an even larger annoyance for the man when Frost made a good point, and he was forced to concede.

What was perhaps the largest change over the years, however, was the fact Frost decided he wanted to be a Huntsman. This alone baffled the entire family, particularly his older sister Weiss. Rather than scorn him for it like the rest of the family however, Weiss became intrigued.

Weiss was also looking to become a huntsman, and get out from the suffocating grip of their father, and craft her own way in life. Though unlike Frost, she seemed to want to restore the Schnee name from how awful it had become in recent years, back to its former glory. Yet, as far as she could see, Frost had seemingly no reason to want to be a Huntsman. Winter and Weiss were there to restore the family name, so what purpose could her little brother possibly have?

And so it was, on a cold February afternoon that Weiss finally decided to confront her little brother on his choice. She marched up to his door with a determined look in her eyes, and knocked sharply three times, determined not to leave until she got her answers.

There was a moment of silence, before the door slowly opened to reveal a sixteen year old Frost Schnee. He gave his sister a warm smile, one that caused her to physically recoil in surprise, finding such an expression on his face out of place. "Hello, Weiss," he greeted her. "Are you here to talk about the concert?"

Ah, yes. The concert.

Over the years, Frost had become something of a public hero. While initially people distrusted him, his acts of kindness had led to him being treated so kindly, that none had seen a Schnee treated so nicely since their great-great Grandfather, Daric Schnee, brought the family name through the mud.

So when Frost requested to play lead guitar at every single concert that Weiss' had, it didn't take much for his father to agree. The man had been more than willing to cash in on the publicity that would give them, not that Frost seemed to mind that too much.

While thinking his son was doing it to further the family, Weiss could tell it was to do with Frost's new 'helping people' attitude. She speculated that Frost wanted to make people happy with public appearances and doing things for them. Playing lead guitar at her concerts would attract more people, and make more people happy. It was a win-win for Frost, and for her father.

"I'm not here about that," she shook her head. "I'm here to talk about your suddenly thoughts about becoming a huntsman!"

"Ah," Frost blinked, tilting his head slowly. "Perhaps this is a conversation better had in private then?" he offered as he stepped out of the way, allowing her entrance to his room.

Weiss nodded and marched into his room. And when she did, she realised with a start that this was the first time she'd ever come into her little brother's room. And it was certainly…quite different from her own room. In fact, she was sure it was completely different from any other room in the house!

For one, usually the rooms were a light blue or white in colour, Frost's room was a vibrant yellow that seemed terribly out of place for the Schnee family. On the wall above his bed was the red painting of a sword, but where the blade itself should be a snowflake was painted instead with a bow painted so that the string touched the top of the blade's hilt horizontally. It was Frost's huntsman symbol, though the bow didn't make much sense considering Frost's weapons of choice was a simple short sword and gun.

A large TV was also set up in Frost's room, but it didn't play anything like movies or games. It was on the news, and Weiss had a strange feeling that his TV never left that channel. Thankfully, his room seemed to get a bit more to what she was used to once she looked past those things. Books were piled up on his desk, and scattered all over the floor, along with various papers that were no doubt tests his father still gave them.

A black guitar with white snowflakes running across it stood in the corner on a stand, a small amplifier sitting next to it. There were several other guitars, however the snowflake one was the most recognisable to her since it was the one Frost used at her concerts.

The only thing left of notice in his room were the gun and sword that sat on the wall not far from his desk. Both were simply made, though they were also well crafted. The sword was eighteen inches long, qualifying for a short sword barely, while the gun was a simple Dust Revolver, allowing for one bullet to be fired for each Dust Type put in, and then it was a simple reload.

Slowly, Weiss shifted her gaze to Frost. He closed the door and walked past her, taking a seat on his chair and swivelled around to face the bed, which he gestured for her to sit on, and Weiss instantly saw it for the power play that it was.

A changed person he might be, but it was clear Frost would never forget his training as a Schnee. Even subconsciously, he took stances and made gestures that demonstrated that he was the stronger one, or at least equal to somebody in terms of authority.

Slowly taking a seat on his bed, Weiss crossed one leg over the other and leaned forwards, her own attempt to show they were equals and that Frost was _not_ superior to her. Weiss might have loved her little brother but she wouldn't allow him to bully her, even if he didn't realise he was doing it.

Her actions immediately caused him to sit up straighter in his chair, leaning back slowly, acknowledging Weiss as his equal. "So, what exactly was it you wanted to ask?" Frost asked kindly, his subconscious submitting to being equals in the small battle of body language.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in being a Huntsman?" she asked him, being blunt and to the point instead of beating around the bush. "No offence, little brother, but up until two years ago you had no interest in the Huntsman lifestyle. So why is it you are suddenly so interested in it now?"

Frost blinked, as if he was confused by the question. He tilted his head and furrowed his brow as he tried to think of an answer that would be satisfactory. When he couldn't find one, he shrugged and spoke his mind; "Because if I become a Huntsman, then it means I can save more lives than if I was just a civilian."

Weiss visibly recoiled as if she'd been slapped. He…wanted to save lives? Was that why he'd suddenly changed seven years ago? Because he wanted to _help_ people? All this time she'd thought it had been a 'bigger game' behind his sudden kindness, and that he was planning something behind the scenes that he would majorly benefit from. But to find out that he just wanted to save people…

"Frost…" Weiss said slowly, as if carefully considering her next words. "What _exactly_ happened seven years ago to cause you to change like this?"

Frost froze, and suddenly he was there again; atop the mountain with a man dying before his eyes. He forced himself back to reality, though he wholeheartedly embraced the warm feeling as he saw that smile again, a smile forming on his lips.

"I saw the truth, sister," Frost said to her. "I saw the truth of my world."

"Your world?"

"Yes. _My_ world. All of us live in our own little world, despite what everyone else believes. And I found the truth of my world seven years ago, through nothing but luck. Someday, I'm sure you will find the truth of your own world, and then you might change drastically because of it."

Weiss blinked. The truth? His own little world? What nonsense was Frost speaking of now? But…his words weren't wrong, if she was honest. Everyone _did_ live in their own little world, or rather everyone perceived the world around them in their own way.

Deciding that was the best she'd get out of her brother on that matter, she decided that Frost's choice was his own and changed the subject. "Since I'm here, I want to discuss a song I'll be playing at the concert next week. It will be my last concert for a long time since I'm heading to Beacon Academy, and I want to focus on my training. The song is called 'Mirror Mirror.'"

Red eyes blinked softly at the sudden subject change, before he nodded sharply. "Got it. Have you decided on a chord progression? Any riffs? Or are you leaving that up to me?"

"I have a chord progression," she informed him, pulling out a sheet of music and handing it to him. "As for riffs, we can go over that in band practice. Please learn that as fast as possible, it is very important to me that you do so."

Frost smiled and nodded, before he did something that surprised his older sister, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her into a warm embrace. "I will, Weiss. I'll see you at band practice tomorrow okay?"

She hesitated, before returning her little brother's hug, gently patting him on the head. And as she did, she couldn't help but marvel at how different her brother looked compared to so many years ago.

He was still shorter than her, standing at five feet tall, making her about an inch taller than he was without her heels. His face had grown more masculine over time, though he could still be mistaken for a girl quite easily if looked at from a distance. His hair had recently been cut, and it ran straight, reaching just the top of his neck.

His training as a hunter had been put to good use. It had been two years since he began his training, and she could see the muscle definition on his arms since he tended to wear a long sleeved button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows. He still had a little baby fat on his body though, no doubt that would be gone by the time she headed off to Beacon.

She simply sighed after a moment and continued to gently pat him on the head. "I'll see you at band practice, little brother," she promised gently. With those words, Frost released her. The two said goodbye and Weiss left the room.

Her little brother was so very strange, and he had changed from when they were younger. But she could see that she was growing up to be a young man that the family would be proud of one day.

And he'd given her a lot to think about, regarding why it was _she_ wished to be a Huntress.

 **-Line Break-**

Something was wrong.

Frost could feel it. The second he stepped backstage for the concert, due to start in an hour, he could feel something was very wrong. Even as the band members began to make a discussion, Frost could feel something about the air itself that wasn't right.

If he was right, something bad was going to happen at this concert unless someone did something to stop it. And since nobody seemed to notice the immediate danger…it seemed that responsibility would be falling to him.

"Excuse me," he said to them all. "I have to do something."

"You can't go now!" Weiss complained. "We still need to go over what we're-"

"I know it back to front by now, Weiss," he told her calmly. "I'll be back before we go on stage, I promise you. But I just…remembered something important, and I have to take care of it quickly. Please?"

Weiss pursed her lips, before she noticed something in Frost's eyes. The instant she saw the concern in his eyes, she gave a sharp nod. "If you aren't back in time, I'll beat you up in a practice match," she warned him.

He simply smiled and nodded. "I'd expect nothing less," he told her, quickly turning and running through the backstage area. He didn't know what he was looking for, he just knew that once he saw what it was, he'd have to deal with it.

And instantly, he saw what it was and paled. A white animalistic mask, and an angered animal head with three claw marks through it in blood red; a symbol that the Schnee family had come to know well over the years, and not for good reasons.

 _'The White Fang,'_ Frost thought to himself. A terrorist organisation that wanted equality for Faunus…or so they claimed, but Frost didn't see it as such. He saw it as them wanting the roles reversed; for the Faunus to be in charge, and for the humans to be the ones brought to heel.

At the moment, none of that mattered to Frost Schnee. Not a single bit. What mattered to him was they were trying to ruin his sister's concert, and he would _not_ be allowing that to come to pass.

He was quick to follow the White Fang member from the shadows, making sure to stay out of sight. He knew that Faunus had night vision, so he'd been seen in an instant if he entered his field of view. Thankfully, the Faunus seemed to be in so much of a hurry, he wasn't looking back.

Soon enough, he found himself just outside of the concert hall, and hiding behind a wall. He'd been led straight to another White Fang member, and was sure he'd been seen for a moment, but when they didn't come rushing, he relaxed slightly. He pulled his Dust Revolver out of the holster on the inside of his jacket. Better to be safe than sorry, as they say.

"Did you plant the bombs?" the first member said, and it caused Frost to freeze in place momentarily. The implications of that one statement were horrible, and Frost didn't have to hear the next words to know just what they were planning.

"Yes," the second replied, and Frost risked peeking out. He saw a remote in his hand with a large red button, the detonator for the bombs, if Frost were to hazard a guess. "One press of this, and the entire place will go up in flames, taking those damn Schnee with them."

"Death to the Schnee, Glory to the White Fang!"

The two shared a laugh, which was when Frost chose to strike. He moved out from behind the building, Dust Revolver flying up in front of him, and he pulled the trigger. His target weren't the White Fang members though, his target was the remote.

So surprised by the sound of the gunshot, they were far too late to stop him as the remote exploded in the second one's grip. He yelled in pain, small burn marks from his hand from the explosion, which quickly turned into a yell of rage.

"You!" he roared, clearly furious. "You just ruined our plans you little brat! And now you're going to pay for what you've done!"

It didn't take long for Frost to realise these White Fang members weren't native to Mantle- or Atlas as other's called it- or they would have recognised him as a Schnee right away. It was to his advantage though, and he would exploit any advantage he could.

He didn't give them a chance to respond as he charged forwards, cocking back the revolver as he did so. This time the members charged at him, swords drawn, ready to take him down or even kill him.

 _'I have to protect everyone,'_ was the lone thought in his mind as he charged towards them. He wouldn't let the White Fang hurt his family any longer, and nor would he allow innocents to be harmed because of their anger. And it was when they neared each other and swung their swords at him that he retaliated.

Their swords swung horizontally, aiming to cut off his escape routes to the left and right. Frost wasn't so easily trapped however, small flecks of light surrounding him as he jumped up, soaring high above them and avoiding their swings as he pointed his revolver down and pulled the trigger.

 _Zap! Squelch!_

The first White Fang member, who Frost noted had deer antlers, screamed in pain as the Lightning Dust Round pierced his shoulder, forcing him to drop to the ground, and drop his weapon in favour of his shoulder. He was quick to shout obscenities at Frost, who landed behind the two, cocking the revolver back again and aiming it at the second.

"You won't get me!" he roared and Frost watched as a dark blue aura surrounded him, his dog tail wagging- Frost guessed it was in joy at the thought of killing a Schnee- and the man charged, at him. And it was with alarm, Frost noticed he was much faster than before.

Thinking quickly, Frost held up an open palm, and blew over it as if blowing a kiss. As the dog man neared him, particles of light blew from his hand and into the man's face, causing him to cover his eyes and scream in momentary pain. Frost quickly aimed the trigger at the man's stomach, pulling the trigger once again.

 _Whoosh! Bam!_

There was another yell of pain as the dog man was blown back from a Wind Round. He soared back several feel before rolling around on the ground, gripping his stomach in pain. On a normal person, that bullet would have blasted through him, meaning that burst of speed was the man's semblance.

Frost looked to the deer man, realising the man had been sent on what seemed to be a terrorist act without even having his aura unlocked. He was quick to hurry over and knock him out as he tried to reach his partner, he couldn't let the two get away.

Looking up at him, the dog man growled. "Go on, you filthy human!" he sneered. "Do it! Kill me, but my brothers will avenge us! He'll make sure that all of you are taken down!"

The eldest male of the Schnee family merely frowned, before he pointed the gun at the dog man's head, cocking it back. "If that is what you wish," he said calmly, before slowly pulling the trigger, much to the dog man's fear.

 _Boom!_

Right next to the Faunus' head, smoke rose up as the fire round exploded. Seeing he was distracted from Frost's apparent change of heart, the Schnee quickly gave the Faunus' a solid punch on the jaw, knocking him out, putting him in the same state as his fellow Faunus in crime.

"I'm not a murderer," Frost said softly. He pulled out his scroll and called the police, informing them of two White Fang members that had been knocked out and were to be taken to prison. With that done, he grabbed some nearby rope that was used for tying up some poles, and used it to tie the two Faunus together.

Satisfied with his work, he checked his scroll, only to nearly have a heart attack as he realised how much time had passed. He slipped his scroll away, along with his Dust Revolver, and ran in a dead sprint back to the arena and backstage.

"Where were you!?" Weiss hissed at him once he finally made it back. "We go on in five minutes, what the heck took you so long to get back here!?"

"I got caught up," Frost told her as he slipped on his snowflake guitar, feeling a bit out of breath from the sudden run. "The issue took a bit longer than I thought, but I'm good to go now."

Weiss observed her brother before sighing. "Whatever, better you got here on time then didn't get here at all. Now come on," she turned and began to lead the band on stage, Frost hot on her heels.

Despite his exhaustion, he smiled, and felt a warm feeling spread throughout him. He'd saved everyone here from dying, even if they didn't know it. He'd have to inform security of the bombs after the show, confident they had the remote detonator because they didn't have timers on them.

As they played, Frost put more emotion then he ever had into his playing that day. The most emotion he would put into playing an instrument for what was no doubt going to be a long time, especially since this was Weiss' last concert.

He poured his heart and soul into playing, so that his sister could have a proper send off from him. It was going to be his farewell gift, to make this her best concert yet, and to show her that he was going to miss her.

Little did he know at the time, but Klein had placed an envelope on Frost's bed he'd read when he got home. An envelope Frost would never be happier to receive when his sister would be leaving.

 _To: Frost Schnee_

 _From: Professor Charles Ozpin_

 **-Line Break-**

"How are Cinder's plans coming along, my lady?" Arthur Watts asked the Queen over all Grimm. He was a business man through and through, with black hair, a moustache that covered his mouth, and a dark twinkle in his eyes.

"As far as I know, they have been going according to her plan," Salem told him, pausing for a moment to give Tyrian a harsh glare at his mocking of Cinder after Arthur asked that question. "I have chosen to leave her to her own devices on this matter, to leave Ozpin out of the loop of my involvement as much as possible. I shall only be requesting updates every few months, I trust her to fulfil her task."

"Are we sure this is something we can trust her with?" Hazel spoke up, his smooth yet rough voice coming in as he glanced at the Queen. "I mean no offence to my Queen's decision, but she is the newest of us to join, and only joined us a few years ago. Plus the company she keeps are unsavoury- a thief and an assassin- and could have the intention of backstabbing her."

"I trust I will have taught her well enough for her to stay in line," Salem said calmly. "But enough on that. Arthur, how are the new Beowolves coming along? Have they been stronger than their predecessors as planned?"

The man bowed his head. "It is too soon to tell, my lady. Though things seem promising, I witnessed one of the young blood defeat a century old Alpha in battle. It was only barely, but it is a definite sign of progress. I suspect in a few months, they'll be as strong as a normal Ursa Major, which means it will be time to move onto Ursai."

"Excellent," Salem nodded, pleased. "And Tyrian, how have your attempts to find the Spring Maiden gone?"

"Forgive me, your grace!" the crazed man cried out, bowing his head. "I have searched, and searched, and searched, and searched! But I can't get as much as a whisper of her location! Though I did find out that she ran away from Mistral a few years ago, so I shall begin searching outside of the Kingdom as soon as this meeting is over!"

"See that you do," she told him. "Remember well, I will not tolerate failure-" Whatever else she was going to say was cut off a blinding blue light filled the room, emanating from the middle of the table. Everyone covered their eyes except Salem, who merely narrowed her eyes at the light.

When it cleared, it revealed the form of a man in what appeared to be his early twenties. She saw crimson hair, the same colour as dried blood, fall from underneath his red cloak. His head was down, meaning she couldn't get a good look at his eyes, but she could smell the stench of death from him.

On his arm was an odd looking machine, the likes of which Salem had never seen before. But before she could get a good look at it, it began to smoke and spark, lighting on fire.

The man cursed and tossed it past Salem's head and out the window, though his head still didn't rise. "Stupid thing! That better not be another failed attempt, or I am going to be furious!"

"Who are you, human?" Salem spoke up, and it was at that moment the man was surrounded by Hazel, Watts, and Tyrian. And all were in striking position, prepared to kill him at a moment's notice.

Finally he looked up, giving Salem a view of golden eyes that stared into her red ones. Surprise filled them for a moment, before something else fell into her place the lady of the Grimm couldn't recognise. She was given a shock when the man threw his head back, beginning to laugh like some sort of maniac. She was tempted to have him killed right away, one Tyrian was enough after all.

"Oh this is great, this is perfect!" the man laughed loudly. "Wonderful even! This couldn't be more perfect if I tried!" the man's head lowered, and he slowly lowered his hood, revealing a handsome face to match his golden eyes.

"I give my greetings to you, Lady Salem," the man said, causing everyone to tense more since he knew their ladies' name. "My name is Sanguis Macula…and I wish to join your glorious regime against humanity!"

Salem was taken back by this man's sudden wish. She had many questions, but none of them seemed to be answered yet. "And why should I allow you to do so?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Do you wish for some sort of reward if I allow you to join me?"

"No, no, of course not," he waved it off, uncaring. "No, I just want to destroy the filth that is humanity! But I do have just one…little condition. Don't worry, it's nothing bad! In fact, I think you won't mind in the slightest!"

"And that would be?" she prompted, her patience running thin with the man.

Slowly, the smile on Sanguis' face faded, and his golden eyes burned with an emotion Salem knew very well: Anger.

"I want to kill the person known as Frost Schnee with my own two hands."


End file.
